Our second Members Evening of the season gave attendees the practical opportunity to create images through; i) intentional camera movement (ICM) and ii) abstract macrophotography of oil/water droplets. Whilst ICM is a simple concept, shooting indoors using artificial light does tend to restrict the range of subjects and effects that can be explored.

However, a simple display with a clown puppet in front of a very colourful, patterned backdrop allowed people to experiment with camera settings and a variety of camera movements to suit their artistic goals.

A second display featured a glass bowl of water placed on a sheet of glass above a light source with the camera positioned vertically above the water surface. By adding oil droplets and experimenting with different coloured backgrounds beneath the bowl, some pleasing outcomes were achieved. The use of coloured food dyes proved additional scope for creative compositions before they fully dispersed and the process was restarted.

Aside from exploring camera settings and getting refamiliarised with different lens options, the evening also encouraged members to socially interact in a more extensive way than standard meetings allowed and it’s fair to say that we all learned something new, including the folly of buying a cheap glass prism and then struggling to produce a light spectrum.